I Tried the Viewing Terrace at Zurich Airport. Here’s What it’s REALLY Like

Zurich is one of Europe’s greatest airports – a hub for Swiss and Edelweiss, and a gateway to Switzerland served by many international airlines.

Zurich is also a great place for plane spotting thanks to a few dedicated viewing areas that allow spotting and photography and get you up-close to the aircraft.

We recently visited the easiest of all the spotting areas at Zurich – the viewing terrace on top of the terminal.

About the Viewing Terrace at Zurich

There are two viewing terraces at Zurich, but one is much more accessible than the other. You’ll find this on top of the B pier, which is one of the two main piers attached to the terminal complex; away form these is Pier E, which is a remote pier in the midfield area.

To access the terrace, follow signs in the departures area of the terminal for Zuschauerterrasse Observation Deck.

The entrance is along a walkway at the back of the check-in area, alongside the chapel, which leads to an outside area. Follow signs and you’ll reach the ticket desk and airport-style security check before being granted access.

Prices

Access to the viewing terrace at Zurich costs 5 CHF for Adults, 2 CHF for kids aged 10-15, and is free for under 10s.

However, if you have a boarding pass for a flight that has arrived or is departing Zurich that day, you can get in for free.

Note also that there is free entry for everyone on the 15^th of each month.

Opening Times

The Viewing Terrace at Zurich is open daily from 10am-6pm.

Spotting and Photography

Once past the security check, which was quite thorough, you are given access to the outside area which wraps around the outer edge of the pier. Much like the old days of spotting at airport terraces (now sadly gone from most airports), the smell of jet fuel and vista of aircraft and runways is a very welcome sight.

The viewing terrace is excellent for photography, with low fences meaning cameras and lenses are not obstructed in many places, and you have close-up views of aircraft parked at the gates below.

The view covers the maintenance areas and remote parking to the south, runway 16/34 in front of you, and the parking areas used by biz jets, general aviation, and airliners parked up for the day beyond.

Continuing around the terrace, you are presented with more gates on Pier B, and one side of Pier A.

Aircraft using runway 10/28 are visible to the left of Pier B, and on my visit were departing on 28 so you had to be ready if you wanted to catch a photograph.

In the distance, the end of Pier E is almost visible, as is the final approach to runway 14 (the normal landing runway).

Aircraft departing runway 16 will pass very close to you, giving a thrilling vantage point of large jets departing at eye level.

However, it should be noted that much of the view from the terrace is pointing into the sun on the afternoon, making photography difficult.

I also found that visiting on a weekend when it was sunny meant that the terrace was very busy. It was therefore difficult to find a spot alongside the fence for unobstructed photographs at times.

In terms of camera lenses, a 200mm or 300mm zoom lens is sufficient for most of the aircraft you’ll see; you may want something longer for shots of aircraft on runway 10/28, or on the remote biz jet apron.

Airside Tours

Another option which you may want to consider on your visit to the Zurich Airport viewing terrace is an airside tour.

These can be booked in advance, or at the ticket desk on the day, and will take you to various vantage points around the airport, including the gates and runway intersections, giving you very close-up vantage points to aircraft, and also revealing some of the parts of the airport not visible from the terrace.

Tours run year-round on Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays (no Wednesdays in winter) and last 75 minutes, with commentary in German.

You can find out more, including prices and booking information, at this link: https://www.flughafen-zuerich.ch/en/passengers/experience/experiences/tours-and-guided-tours/bus-tours-for-the-general-public

Viewing Terrace E

As I mentioned earlier, there is another viewing terrace atop the terminals at Zurich. This can be found on the remote Pier E.

It gives you close-up views of the aircraft parked at this remote pier, which are not visible from Pier B until they depart.

This terrace is only accessible on Saturdays and Sundays, plus public holidays, and is not open during the winter months (November-March).

It is accessed from the terrace on Pier B, with shuttle buses ferrying visitors across every 30 minutes between 12:45pm and 4pm.

For more information see https://www.flughafen-zuerich.ch/en/passengers/experience/experiences/observation-deck-e

What Aircraft You’ll See at Zurich

Zurich is a busy airport with an interesting variety of movements.

It is home to Swiss, Edelweiss, Helvetic Airways, easyJet Switzerland and Chair, which naturally dominate movements.

Aside from these, it is served by most European mainline and many low-cost carriers. Airlines from further afield include American carriers, Middle Eastern carriers and some from Asia. The fact that Zurich is a business hub and Switzerland is a major tourist destination means a good selection of carriers.

Added in to this is a steady stream of biz jets and props from around the world, which park at the remote aprons to the east and west of the terminals.

A Note on Weather

Switzerland can be an incredibly sunny and scenic country to visit, but for much of the year it is also a winter wonderland. As such, it can be cold to be outside on the Zurich Airport viewing terraces, with snow and ice present, and low light which can make photography difficult.

So, with this in mind, when planning a spotting trip to Zurich do some research into what the weather, temperature and daylight hours will be at the time.

Other Spotting Locations

On this visit I only had time to visit the viewing terraces at Zurich. However, you will find another dedicated viewing area at the end of runways 14 and 16, which is a 10-15 minute drive from the terminal and has a large car park.

It is also accessible via bus routes 510 and 531 from the airport.

Here you have great views and photography opportunities of aircraft landing on runway 14, with a backdrop of mountains and some distant views of the rest of the airport.

World Airport Spotting Guides

Zurich is just one of the 350+ airports covered in World Airport Spotting Guides, our amazing resource for plane spotters which helps you plan your spotting trips. Packed full of maps and guides to the world’s best spotting locations, it’s an invaluable resource for aviation enthusiasts.

Find out more at this link